310 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
«BOTANY IN ENGLAND.” 
By vHe Eprror. 
Pro RF. W. Oxtver’s Presidential Address to the Botanical 
Section eg the British Association consisted of two parts, one deal- 
ing with “The Se apter in he tion,” the other with 
‘Botany in England.” With a former we do not propose to 
deal; but the latter raises so many pir for discussion that we 
cannot but wonder that Prof. Oliver selected for its delivery a 
opportunity when discussion was impossible. Although headed 
‘Botany in England,” it is mainly occupied with an attack upon 
the two great public herbaria—which, in Prof. Oliver’s opinion, 
and apart fro i 
consequently ‘languish ” or ‘‘ suffer atrophy through ‘disuse.” 
Prof. Oliver’s style is not a to orca and we sometimes oe 
it difficult to grasp eh mean We propose, however, to offer 
few remarks upon some of bis statements, premising that w oe 
not admit his ioe “40 act as a judge in matters with which it is 
abundantly evident he is but impabfectly st 86 nte 
g given a very brief sketch of what he considers ‘« the pre- 
vailing s school of botany,” Prof. Oliver proceeds to inform us that 
it ‘‘ has arisen very independently of that which preceded it.” 
we must at once joinissue with him. He continues :—* — = 
the middle parts of the last century we were so busy am amassing a 
classifying plants that the great questions of botanical poie were 
left to solve themselves.” Yet this period included the morpho- 
ogee work of ers Brown, Lindley, and Sir Joseph a hes no 
to mention that of Carruthers and W. C. Williamson, who wer 
largely instrumental in establishing the yor of pale io obats, 
and without whose work the first part of Prof. Oliver’s address 
vi 
n it be said wi any degree of accuracy that ‘‘the prevailing 
pore of Pa as arisen very independently of that which pre- 
cede 
Prof. Oliver continues :—‘ Great herbaria became of the order 
of things; they received Government recognition, and they continue 
their work apart. Those who built up these great collections 
neglected to convince the schools of the importance : Spr sar a 
generation of botanists that would use them. The schools were 
free, and they have gone their own way, and that way rps not lie 
in the direction of the systematic botany of the herbarium. So long 
as this tendency prevails, the herbaria must languish. When I say 
languish, I do not mean that they will suffer from inefficient 
ever been grea 
Parone eager efficiency probably has never e 
the present time. But the effort involved in their con- 
sfrustion and upkeep is Meee gr dispropo ps to an service 
